A Man's Birthday Card

I just found out I'm a new auntie! My new nephew was born less than an hour ago. Unfortunately, he lives all the way in Germany so I don't get to see him 'til he's about 3 months old :( And I guess I should've been making a card for him. But I didn't know he was on his way, so I made a birthday card instead.

This week's Pals Paper Arts Challenge was a color challenge (my favorite after sketch challenges) and they asked us to use Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla and Baja Breeze. A great color combination for a man's card. Even better, I needed to make a card for our Uncle Dale who's birthday is next week, as well as for my Birthday Card Class next week :) (Yes, this is another sneak peek of the class!)

I love the ties from the Best Dad Ever stamp set - they work for a bunch of different masculine cards. Even more, I like stamping out a tie in a contrasting color, cutting it out and putting it on top of one of the darker ties. It adds so much to the image.

Tips & Tricks:

*I love the clear Bitty Buttons. They work with all styles of cards. Adhere with Glue Dots - very easy!
*I find the NEW Island Indigo Baker's Twine coordinates well with Not Quite Navy. In this card, I used Mary Fish's trick of threading a thin strip of card stock through the button (LOVE this technique!). But in a second card I made, I used the Baker's Twine. Looked great!
*Never have enough cards? An 8-1/2 x 11 piece of card stock makes two cards! So since you're already stampin', why not make two cards? One for now, one for when you just don't have the time!

'Tis all for this evening. 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring your creativity!